• A Republican conspiracy behind falling oil prices is impossible, cause they’re not actually falling, sorry. [TPMMuckraker]

• A former guest on Nancy Grace’s show has committed suicide - usually it’s just watching the show that makes you want to kill yourself. [Hit & Run]
• As a youth, nerd king Ben Bernanke carried around a slang dictionary in his pocket so he wouldn’t look like a “square” if he saw a “bird” he “dug.” [Bloomberg]
• While the US has multi-billion dollar Global War On Terror to curb extremism, the Russians use vodka and a few good hookers. [Shakespeare's Sister]
• Massive new “Ground One” amusement park being built in California. Just like “Ground Zero,” only better. [YouTube]
• Video gamers refuse to vote until ballot machines “get better graphics, dude.” [Slashdot]

Regardless of your position on the current Middle East crisis, there’s one thing we can all agree on: video game violence is just the skill-building motivator our children need to get out there and make something of themselves. Take Daniel Taylor of Baltimore, who, despite never having been there and not speaking Hebrew, is heeding the call of his people and joining the IDF. Daniel comes well-trained, having studied marksmanship at the 4-H. Despite that seemingly marking him as a time-traveler from 1950, Daniel’s not lacking for modern know-how: MORE »

• Katherine Harris pens blog post, incites flurry of pandering to Florida’s Cuban voters. [The Hill Blog]

• Ousted from Connecticut, Juan Liebermantienez to lead coup in Cuba. [The Satirical Political Report]
• Vanity Fair releases military tapes from 9/11, titles article as if it were a classic rock box set. [Vanity Fair]
• The Republican party of Oregon, apparently more racist than in other states. [Oregon Live]
• Expect one less mysterious “tax” on your phone bill as Congress closes books on Spanish American War. [News.com]
• Christians pray for stability in Iraq, so they can hurry up and start proselytizing. [The Carpetbagger Report]
• Relive all the hot Texan backrub action at the G-8 with this new video game — fastest finger wins! [Addicting Games]

* A new video game that tries to “out-violence” Grand Theft Auto — brought to you by, who else, the Christian Right. [Petroleum Jelliffe] MORE »

* A little real estate porn of the house where Dusty Foggo and Brent Wilkes lived like porn stars. [Raw Story] MORE »

From the mailbag… MORE »